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The Media Line Sunday News Roundup

For our readers, viewers and listeners who are celebrating Christmas today, the management and staff of The Media Line wish you a joyous and meaningful holiday. A Very Merry Christmas!

1. THOUSANDS FILL BETHLEHEM FOR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS… As many as 30,000 visitors traveled to Bethlehem on Saturday to observe or participate in Christmas celebrations. Attendance was up by at least 10,000 over last year, but nowhere near the crowds in the scores of thousands that used to fill Bethlehem before the onset of violence in September 2000. The senior Roman Catholic official in Israel, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, used his Christmas sermon to encourage Israelis and Palestinians to recognize a “new political reality” and to “leave all violence and vengeance.”

2. ARMED HAMAS MEMBERS FIRE ON PALESTINIAN POLICE… Armed men identified as members of Hamas opened fire on Palestinian policeman at a checkpoint in Gaza City on Saturday night. Two officers were moderately injured. The incident began when Palestinian police stopped the men at the checkpoint and demanded that they turn over their weapons. Their response was to open fire and flee.

3. RESIGNED PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER SAYS HE WON’T RUN IN ELECTION UNLESS ISRAEL RELENTS ON JERUSALEM VOTING… Ahmad Qurei’ says he will not run in the January legislative election unless Israel relents and allows voting to take place in Jerusalem. Qurei’ had resigned from the prime ministry two weeks ago because by law he could not hold the office and stand for election. Qurei’ also called for the election to be postponed until the issue of Jerusalem voting is resolved. The Sharon government has said that it will not allow balloting in Jerusalem unless Hamas is banned from the election process. But on Sunday, an official in the Prime Minister’s office confirmed media reports that were circulating over the weekend, indicating that Prime Minister Sharon will likely capitulate. The Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry have been at odds on the issue — the Ministry favoring again allowing the same system used in previous elections where Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem cast ballots at post offices. International pressure has increased on Israel not to interfere with the election, and the Americans have refused to back Israel’s stance. The Prime Minister’s office says that Sharon has no intention of giving Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas an excuse to postpone the election by blaming Israel while the real reason is his fear that Hamas will win. On Saturday, the Arab League issued a statement blasting the ban and accusing Israel of using the issue to influence the final status of Jerusalem.

4. NEWSPAPER REPORT: QASSAM RANGE IS BEING SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED… A senior Israeli military official is being quoted by the newspaper Haaretz as saying that the range of Hamas’s homemade Qassam rockets is on the verge of increasing from about five to about nine and a half miles. The increase is significant when viewed by what enters the effective target area after the boost. When launched from the former Israeli towns evacuated during the unilateral Israeli pullout last fall, the Qassams have been able to reach the outskirts of the coastal city of Ashkelon. With their range almost doubled, populated areas and significant infrastructure comes cleanly within the rockets’ crosshairs. According to the Haaretz report, the official also said Islamic Jihad’s missiles have improved significantly in their accuracy and are nearing the efficiency of Hamas missiles.

5. CONGRESS APPROVES $600 MILLION FOR JOINT U.S.-ISRAEL SECURITY PROJECTS… The House of Representatives on Friday approved $600 million for joint security projects between the U.S. and Israel as part of the Defense Appropriations Bill. The measure had been passed by the Senate two days earlier. The amount designated for American-Israeli projects is $150 million more than the Bush administration had requested. $133 million of the package is ear-marked for the Arrow anti-missile system project that has been underway for a decade and has proven successful in test firings. Some observers believe the deal reflects recent concerns over Iranian capabilities. In addition to reports of improvements in Iran’s own missiles, Russia has just announced a new sale of surface-to-air missile systems to the Iranians.

6. NORWEGIAN SURVEY SHOWS MAJORITY OF PALESTINIANS VIEW VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAEL AS LEGITIMATE… A new study financed by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry reveals that a 69% majority of Palestinians believes violence against Israel is “a legitimate means in the current political situation.” According to the poll conducted by the Fafo organization, half of the Palestinians believe that “suicide attacks are necessary to force Israel to make political concessions.” Nevertheless, 83% favor a continuation of the “calm” [tahdia] and 57% believe the intifada should stop. The survey also indicates strong Palestinian support for Al-Qa’ida attacks against American and European targets.

7. ATTEMPTED MOB HIT USES MISSILE… Israeli police are turning over the missile launcher used in an attempted mob hit to the International Crimes Investigation Unit. The launcher was discovered on Sunday morning. Last Thursday, the Ramat Poleg neighborhood in the seaside city of Netanya was rocked by a huge explosion that turned out to be the firing of a shoulder-held missile being used in an attempt to kill a reputed mobster.

8. TERRORISTS GOOGLING ISRAELI DEFENSE SITES WILL BE DISAPPOINTED… Terrorists who try to use Google’s international satellite maps to identity vulnerable Israeli defense sites will be disappointed, according to a report in Globes financial newspaper. The report says that the resolution available on satellite photos of Israeli sites is less than the resolution available for satellite photos of non-Israeli locations. A 1997 U.S. law prevents satellite imaging companies from photographing Israeli sites at resolutions higher than those offered by non-U.S. commercial companies.